CLEVELAND – Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald announced today that eight additional Cuyahoga County communities – Westlake, Brecksville, Broadview Heights, Fairview Park, Lyndhurst, Cuyahoga Heights, Olmsted Falls and Woodmere – have signed Cuyahoga County’s Business Attraction and Anti-Poaching Protocol. The flurry of signatures means that 28 communities have now signed the protocol.

“I’m particularly excited about having these communities sign on,” said FitzGerald. “They include outer ring and prosperous suburbs that are joining our efforts to make Cuyahoga County more attractive to business.”

The protocol asks communities to: step up their economic development efforts; agree not to lure or “poach” area businesses that have not expressed a desire to re-locate; notify the home community in instances where a business is considering an intra-county move and does not object; and agree, in such instances, to have certain discussions with the home community’s mayor.

FitzGerald said the protocol is part of a mix of initiatives and developments that are highlighting economic opportunities in Cuyahoga County. “We have a new and more responsive form of government; a $100 million Economic Development Fund; and exciting projects like the Medical Mart, Convention Center, Casino, and Flats East Bank,” he said. “With this protocol, we are sending a message to businesses that our communities are working together in an unprecedented fashion.”

FitzGerald thanked Mayors Dennis Clough, Jerry Hruby, Sam Alai, Eileen Patton, Joe Cicero, Jack Bacci, Bob Blomquist, and Charles Smith and their Councils for their leadership. “They stepped forward to say that we can do better on economic development in Cuyahoga County and that we can work together in these efforts,” he said.

Although pleased that 28 communities have signed the protocol, FitzGerald said there are more communities that are finishing the review process. “We’re engaged in numerous promising discussions with remaining communities and we hope to have another announcement soon,” he said. “We want to send a message that Cuyahoga County is taking a new approach to economic development and that our communities are unified in that effort.”